The Mist
by Fokusas
Summary: Strange mist appeared in Fire nation capital during solstice making strange things to happen.


„It's a story from ancient times when Fire nation was just a band of tribes that was told to me by my uncle. It says that Fire nation princess fell in love with foreigner." Zuko started to tell his story when I was interrupted.

"Let me guess they died?" Toph snorted. "You can't think of anything scarier?"

"Hey let me tell the story!" Zuko grunted. "So where was I? Their love was so strong that they refused to abandon it even when fire lord demanded that they break up. Girl and boy tried to escape to nearby forests so that they could live and love each other free from everyone, but they were captured and brought back. Ancient fire lord tried to kill the boy, but was overpowered and died in battle with boy that loved his daughter. The lovers once again tried to run away, but they were captured by town's people and put on trial for their crimes of which the biggest was the death of fire lord. As a punishment for their crimes princess was ordered to kill her lover, but she refused to do it. So the executioner cut her arms at arm pits and with them he strangled the boy and put his body to riot in pile of trash since he was deemed unworthy of proper burial. The princess couldn't live without her lover, went crazy and took her life by jumping into sea."

"Heh, an armless woman. You can't think of anything and just copied my story of armless man just changed gender." Sokka snorted. "Who in his right mind would do anything with Fire nation princess? Just look at your sister and you will understand that no man, be it from tribes, earth kingdom or else, would do anything with someone like her. "

"She is like all those crazy psycho bitches that would try to murder you at the moment notice." Toph added and high fived Sokka.

"Will you let me tell the story without trying to kill the mood?" Zuko grumped. "So like I said they both died. One week later trader caravan from nearby town arrived and found that all town's people were dead, they were all strangled and their arms separated from their bodies. The lone survivor that was found told them that an armless woman appeared in town and everyone who saw her had their arms fell from their body and later rouse up to strangle them. Some tried to run, but the arms captured and killed them all. Traders decided that this place was cursed and burned town down to the ground with everyone that was there. People are still speaking that if you visit the place where old capital stood when blood moon rises and you hear the wolf growling, you could meet armless woman surrounded by mist who would make your arms separate from your body… and strangle you." Zuko finished doing low gurgling noises and imitating strangling moves with his hands.

"I take my words back. Sokka, even your story with flying swords wasn't that bad compared with this one." Toph told to everyone that were gathered this night. They all were sitting in palace garden near camp fire and telling scary stories. This gathering of friends become tradition several years ago after Zuko became fire lord and was too busy to travel anywhere that wasn't related to Fire nation. Everyone was busy: Aang traveling around the world and doing his avatar duties, Katara would accompany him as his fiancée, Toph was busy with her metal bending academy, Sokka played diplomat and was trying to help colonies, and at same time secure good trade deal for watertribe. Zuko was the busiest of them all.

So since Zuko was too busy and couldn't leave Fire nation, his friends Sokka, Katara, Aang and Toph decided that they should come to Fire nation and do group meetings there during solstices every year. It was their six gathering, six years after Aang defeated fire lord Ozai and ended hundred years war, and this time they decided to sit around camp fire, that was built in the middle of palace garden and pretend they were camping like good times while telling scary stories. And as always Sokka's stories sucked, but this time instead Zuko was on receiving end of bad storytelling and everyone laughed.

o0o0o0o

Two days later thick mist has befallen capital of Fire nation. It was so thick that you couldn't see beyond your extended arm. Some people even called it to be unnatural like spirit themselves sent it.

Zuko woke up and went to dining room to have breakfast. Last night their group decided to move inside because both Aang and Katara complained that it was too cold to stay and with Azula once again living in palace it was too big risk to let her alone, but Toph knew that they were lying and had ulterior motive that most likely included bed. If Toph had such desires she would take Satoru (maybe it was good that he wasn't here) and do it in front of everyone without any drop of shame. Gladly Aang and Katara were not so crazy like her and didn't do it in front of everyone.

So once Zuko arrived at dinning room he found Toph and decided to greet her.

"Good morning. Are you so early or did everyone else are still sleeping?"

"Good morning to you too, Sparky. Snoozles is the only one still sleeping. Twinkle toes received urgent message that someone in Earth kingdom require his avatar expertise so without waiting for anything, he and Sugar queen left before dawn." Toph greeted Zuko and continue to eat her breakfast.

"How could he fly through this thick mist? He should have stayed here." Zuko wondered.

"Thick mist? I don't know what that is. Most likely something related to weather. As for how he could do it. He said that it should be nice sunny day today. He didn't tell about any mist whatever that is."

"Damn, I miss those care free days. Do you or Sokka plan to leave too. We still have several days we could spend together before we have to return to our duties." Zuko sat and ordered his breakfast from royal chef.

"I don't know how is Snoozles, but I am still free for couple days." Toph answered and saw Sokka enter dining room. "Good morning Sokka." She greeted him, but didn't get any reply. Instead Sokka took two plates with food and left. "I guess I he is too busy filling his stomach to notice or greet us. Typical meathead!" It was well known that Sokka liked to eat … a lot and no one could get between him and his food, but that he didn't greet his friends would be a bit strange, although if Sokka was starved his mind would ignore anything that isn't food or imminent danger.

"Strange." Zuko added and started to eat his breakfast.

o0o0o0o

Sokka walked palace corridors until he found his destination and knocked on door, that were opened by woman several minutes later.

"Good morning. May my lady would like to join me for breakfast?" Sokka asked Azula.

"Yes, good sir. I would be pleasured if we could have breakfast together."Azula invited Sokka to his room. The nearby guard looked at all this with huge shock, because they never saw princess act so gentle with anyone and instead were her normal mean self that would intimidate all servant all time.

o0o0o0o

"I am telling you, I saw Sokka with Azula and they didn't insult or tried to murder each other. It was quite opposite. They were giving so much oogies, I was feeling sick." Toph told to Zuko, who couldn't believe her.

"Tell me word by word, what you saw or in your case sensed, because I can't believe it." Zuko told to Toph. It was too strange to believe that his friend Sokka would do anything with his sister Azula.

"I saw them sitting near tree in palace gardens and acting like lovely couple. Azula was sitting on his lap and caressing his hairs, while Sokka read poetry to her and that wasn't some crappy poetry Sokka make on the go, that was some good quality poetry from best poets in the world! I don't know if they saw me, but it all looked like they were having best time of their life." Toph recounted her experience in royal garden. She had big urge to earthbend and was looking for good place to do that, before she came upon Sokka and Azula.

"I knew that Sokka was into poetry, but how do you know what good poetry is. I thought you don't like that stuff and instead like… to be yourself … and bash skulls?" Zuko asked. He was unsure what was more surprising: that Azula was enjoying poetry or that Toph even knew what good poetry was. In the end he settled that Sokka and Azula together was bigger mystery. Some random guard came to him and told him that someone saw Sokka entering Azula's room without her setting him on fire. At first Zuko dismissed this as nonsense, but if Toph saw them it must meant something was happening between these two and he needed to know that.

"Bah. I don't like that stuff, but that doesn't mean I don't know what good poetry is. My parents used to read me poetry during my education. " Toph explained. "If they are still there I can lead you and you can ask them what they are doing."

o0o0o0o

After couple minutes Zuko and Toph were walking through palace gardens and trying to find Sokka and Azula.

"They should be somewhere around here." Toph told to Zuko, but after he failed to respond, she used her seismic sense to locate him. "Hey Sparky what are you doing in turtle duck pound?"

"It's obvious that I fell in. This mist is so thick I can't see anything!" Zuko complained and tried to find how to get out of turtle duck pound in to which he has felt several seconds earlier.

"I guess this is just another advantage I have. Some stupid weather doesn't interfere with my seismic sense I and can sense anything perfectly." Toph joked. "Sokka and Azula must have left, because I can't sense them nearby. Do you need help to get out of there, Sparky."

"If you can do it without earthbending, I would appreciate it." Zuko replied after he failed to leave turtle duck pound and several minutes later hand appeared and helped him to climb out of it. Toph decided to not do any damage and instead use old fashion way to help Zuko climb out of that place. It all looked ridiculous that Zuko couldn't find exit when it was in front of him all this time. Maybe this mist was real deal and could blind regular people?

"Toph, maybe it was just your imagination? There is no way Sokka and Azula could have been in garden, since no one can't see what's before their eyes because of this mist or maybe it was all just a mist? Sokka and Azula getting together is just crazy. No one likes Azula. No one!" Zuko asked Toph. Sokka and Azula acting like lovers was the biggest nonsense anyone could think of. "hmm, can you tell me or better show which way is exit?"

"I can sense that you are telling the truth, but I know what I saw. I saw Sokka and Azula and they didn't try to murder each other." Toph told to Zuko while leading him back to palace.

o0o0o0o

Zuko was walking through palace corridors when he heard music, but couldn't locate it. The music was very beautiful and after moving toward its source, he could hear someone singing.

"O sole

O sole mio

sta 'nfronte a te!"

 _Was that Sokkas' voice?_ Zuko stopped and listened. He never heard Sokka sing, but something in his mind told him that it was his friend's voice. That voice continued to sing so Zuko decided to find this voice owner and started to follow it. Just to make sure this wasn't his own imagination, Zuko stopped near one of many servants moving around and cleaning palace or doing other duties and asked if they heard the music and man singing.

"Yes, we he hear it. It such beautiful music, like someone is singing serenade. Oh how I would like to be that one whom it's being sung." Maid answered Zuko question and confirmed that it wasn't just his imagination.

Zuko tracked the sounds source to royal bath and was greated by another voice. This time it was feminine.

"O sole

O sole mio

sta 'nfronte a te!"

This new voice sounded like his sister. Zuko never knew that his sister could sing. She was only mean and commanding woman. That she or Sokka could sing so well (or that they both would sing to each other) was total nonsense, yet he was standing here, near entrance to royal bath house, from where that sound was coming. There was no longer music, but someone still sung. _Who?_

Zuko braced himself and entered bath house and stopped in shock after seeing the owners of those voice singing together. There, in bath, were Sokka and Azula and they not only were completely naked swimming, but were also kissing and feeding fruits or berries to each other before playing with them. Zuko's feeble brains couldn't process all this information and security directive kicked in shutting it down, before permanent damage could be done. Or in other words Zuko was left standing like idiot with his jaw wide open so big that chicken fox could lay egg there.

After several minutes Zuko recovered and moved in, to see if what he saw wasn't just the illusion. Zuko took several steps further into royal bath, but to his big disappointment there was no one there. Maybe it was just mist playing with his mind, there was no way he could have heard and later saw his sister and his best friend being in love. Palace corridors weren't that good at acoustic, that you could hear what was happening in other part of palace yet still he was here and couldn't push that view that he saw several minutes ago. He needed to know that it was real and he wasn't going nuts. How could have Sokka got together with Azula and they managed to hide it from them all so long? It was beyond his comprehension.

He needed to find the truth! So Zuko went to his sister's room with hope to see her. Why didn't he think about asking her and Sokka all this time? Yes she most likely would lie and tell that she has nothing to do with it. Or maybe admit it. Any way it will be better and thinking about things that shouldn't be or couldn't be and he may not be going nuts for nothing.

As Zuko closed on Azula's room he could see that mist managed to penetrate palace corridors and was now lingering at the bottom. Then, after several minutes later, Zuko reached Azula's room, he stopped for moment and listened for sounds that escaped her room. It looked like someone was moaning in there and it was female. Could it be? Did they…? Zuko stopped before Azula's doors and braced once again for what he could see there. If they were actually doing it there and he entered unprepared … Zuko didn't want to know what would happen next. He still wanted to live. Zuko collected all courage he had and moved the handle down. The doors opened without sound and Zuko carefully stepped inside. It was already dark and while this place has dim illumination he could see two bodies intertwined with each other. The mist was thicker in this room.

There, in farther corner of the room, sat Sokka and Azula. Azula was straddling Sokka and rocking up and down. They both were lacking clothes and their naked bodies were exposed for everyone who would enter this room to see, but looks like neither Sokka nor Azula reacted to Zuko entering room, and continued to do their dirty deed. Sokka had one hands over Azula's ample buns, while other was over her back. Zuko didn't need to get closer because he understood that Sokka was deep inside his sister while she rode Sokka. They were also kissing each other and when they weren't Azula was making all kind of sounds or expelling fire from her mouth. Sokka wasn't silent either and encouraged Azula move faster.

"AZULA! WHAT'S IN AGNI NAME?!" Zuko roared when he saw his sister having sex with his best friend and instantly regretted his action because next moment Azula's head turned toward and … he wasn't prepared for what he saw. Her head turned hundred and eighty degrees around like some owl cat, Zuko wasn't sure that human's neck couldn't do that, because now he not only could see Azula's buttocks but also full face. No normal human could do that without breaking its neck. The other scary feature was that Azula's eyes glowed same way like she would be in avatar's state. _Azula wasn't avatar, what in agni name is going here?_

"CHOOSE YOU NEXT WORDS CAREFULLY, FIRE LORD! BECAUSE THEY CAN BE YOUR LAST!" Azula's voice boomed while still rocking on Sokka. At same time Sokka's head popped out and Zuko could see that his eyes were same as Azula's and radiated light.

Zuko screamed and run out of room so fast that if anyone would have told him he wouldn't believe them. Why Aang had to leave when this strange spirit shenanigans started. He still wanted to live. HE STILL WANTED TO LIVE. His mind told that if he wanted to survive it was best to leave them and get out of there as soon as he can. If spirits wanted to claim Sokka and Azula, he better let them or he may die. Yes, run was good idea. HE WILL check if Sokka and Azula are ok next day. For now he needs to get Toph, find fire sages and write urgent message to avatar. That is if he survived in first place.

The man looked at his love and kissed her.

"How long it has been, my love." He asked after another kiss and didn't need to wait for answer.

"Too long, my love! Too long!" The woman kissed man before answering and they returned back to their activities.


End file.
